Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya today chaired a high-level meeting with four State governments to review the elimination of Kala-Azar from the country by this year

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya today chaired a high-level meeting with four State governments to review the elimination of Kala-Azar from the country by this year.
During the meeting, the Health Minister of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and senior officers of West Bengal were present. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mandaviya said, India is committed to eliminating Kala-Azar from the country by 2023.
He said, 632 endemic blocks have already achieved elimination status, which is less than one case, per ten thousand population. The Minister said, only one block (Littipara) of Pakur district, Jharkhand is in the endemic category, which is 1.23 cases per ten thousand population.
Dr. Madaviya said, the government is working holistically with the State government and other stakeholders to achieve the elimination of Kala-Azar in Jharkhand.
About 90 per cent of global cases of Kala-Azar were reported from eight countries. These are Brazil, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan in 2021. India is contributing 11.5 per cent of total cases reported globally.
Currently more than 90 per cent of the Kala-Azar cases are contributed by Bihar and Jharkhand. The Ministry said, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have achieved their elimination targets at the block level.